Anime Review: Berserk

Review Berserk Written by Warpshadow Rating Excellent

I believe that sometimes what makes great anime great is that it can condense deep philosophical thoughts into an enjoyable form. This is certainly the case with Berserk.

The country of Midland is in a state of decay. The people have no hope and monsters roam the land. In this strife there is a swordsman with fearsome strength, who along with the several titles referring to his prowess, has the name of Guts. In a quiet moment he is haunted by the brand on his neck and the curse it holds. He has walked a long road to get where he is today. Etched upon his mind is Griffith, the man that most affected his life. Guts remembers his past.

You can lump almost all fantasy in anime into a single set of clichés. I say almost because Berserk breaks free of this and dispenses with unnecessary magical influences and rpg style comedy. Instead the show is set in a gritty, low fantasy world that looks a lot more like the real middle ages than most fantasy anime. This is not the only or even the biggest hook to Berserk. The Three main characters, Guts, Griffith, and Caska, are all very original and very well developed characters. About the only flaw there is in the show is the ending and even then just about everyone I have heard from about the matter would like to see more of the story animated.